STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball postseason honors have been released and a pair of Saint Joseph's College players have earned accolades.
Sophomore guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) has claimed First Team All-Conference honors while freshman guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) is listed on the GNAC All-Rookie Team.
Frazier, the 2023 GNAC Rookie of the Year, becomes just the seventh SJC men's basketball player to claim GNAC First Team All-Conference accolades after averaging 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 43.5% (136-313) from the floor, 38.7% (89-230) from three-point distance, and 88.9% (56-63) from the free throw line.
In 2024, Frazier achieved the seventh-highest number of three-pointers made by a Saint Joseph's men's basketball player, totaling 89 shots from beyond the arc during his sophomore season. He capped the year ranked fifth in NCAA DIII Men's Basketball – and tops in New England - in three-pointers made and was also fourth in the GNAC in free throw percentage.
The sophomore guard is the first SJC player to garner First Team All-GNAC honors since Jack Casale '21 claimed First Team accolades in 2020 for the second-consecutive season.
Proving to be one of the preeminent long-distance shooters in program history, Frazier has shot 41.9% (145-346) from beyond the arc in 49 career games and is currently ranked fourth in SJC men's basketball history in three-point percentage, 10th in three-pointers made (145), and 13th in trifectas attempted (346).
Wani, a three-time GNAC Rookie of the Week selection this winter, claims All-Rookie Team honors after tallying 11.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 41.2% (119-289) from the field, 28.6% (34-119) from downtown, and 70.6% (36-51) from the charity stripe while playing in all 28 games, including 20 starts, as a freshman. He led the team in rebounding and steals (33) and was third on the squad in scoring average, total points (308), assists (63), field goals made (119), three-pointers made (34), and free throws made (36).
During the 2023-24 season, Wani scored the most points (308) as a freshman since Mike Stallings netted 433 in 2003-04 and is one of just three freshmen in program history to record at least 300 points, 160 rebounds, and 60 assists during their first collegiate campaign.
Saint Joseph's has also been selected, by vote of the conference's 15 head coaches, as the recipient of the GNAC Institutional Sportsmanship award. Each season the GNAC honors athletes and teams for displaying the tenets of sportsmanship along with the release of the respective season's all-conference teams. Sportsmanship, along with community and integrity, is one of the major focal points of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
Led by third-year Head Coach Tyler Ackley this winter, Saint Joseph's posted an 18-10 overall record with a 12-2 mark in conference play en route to earning the #3 seed in the GNAC Tournament. The Monks opened the tourney with a 74-73 quarterfinal triumph over #6 Emmanuel College and advanced to the GNAC Championship for the first time since 2014 with an 88-87 triumph over #2 Albertus Magnus College – the reigning conference champs – on February 22nd. Despite putting up a good fight in the first half, the team's season came to a close with a 78-59 title game setback at top-seeded University of Saint Joseph two days later.
The Monks started the season with a 3-8 record while playing the 12th most difficult schedule in the country, but rebounded by winning 15 of their last 16 games – a stretch that included an 11-game winning streak - before falling to the Blue Jays in the GNAC Championship.
